Week 2 of the 2021 NFL season concludes on Monday night when Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers play host to Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions. For all of those looking to write-off Rodgers and the Packers after witnessing that terrible performance in Week 1 against Tampa Bay, remember that the three-time MVP winner loves playing between the white lines of Lambeau Field.
The line has risen one point since its opening in favor of Green Bay (0-1 SU; 0-1 ATS), now offering Aaron Rodgers and the Packers as 11.5-point favorites over Detroit (0-1 SU; 1-0 ATS) at SI Sportsbook .
After being blown out by New Orleans 38-3 in Week 1, Green Bay looks to bounce back on Monday night against the Lions. In perhaps the biggest upset of the opening week, Rodgers threw for just 133 yards and two interceptions, while the defense was torched for five touchdown passes by Jameis Winston and the Saints. On the other side of the ball, Detroit displayed resilience with a strong second half covering as nine-point underdogs in a 41-33 loss against San Francisco.
So far, we are witnessing reverse steam as public money believes that the Lions will cover for the second consecutive week as touchdown-plus underdogs, but the oddsmakers are moving the line in the opposite direction. Bettors need to be cognizant that the Packers are 9-2 SU in their last eight games at Lambeau Field against the Lions. In addition, Green Bay has been stellar over the past eight home openers posting an 8-0 SU record.
My projections have wideout Davante Adams and tight end Robert Tonyan being the two players to see significant volume in the passing game. Expect Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillion to have bounce-back games against a porous Lions run defense that surrendered 131 rushing yards to San Francisco last week. Jones' any-time touchdown at -128 on SI Sportsbook is a play I would suggest backing.
On the other side of the ball, the Lions will likely be in full pass-mode in the second half – forcing them to lean heavily on the arm of Jared Goff. With top veteran receiver Tyrell Williams out for Monday night’s tilt, my projections call for tight end T.J. Hockenson and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown to draw the majority of targets. However, do not sleep on young wideouts Trinity Benson or Quintez Cephus in your DFS lineups. I would suggest backing Hockenson’s any-time touchdown at +175 on SI Sportsbook as well as a smaller investment on Benson at +600.
While Green Bay has won four straight games over Detroit, the Lions are 3-1 ATS over that span. Detroit is 7-1 ATS over their last eight games against the Packers. The public will love these trends and look to grab the points, but Detroit will be facing Rodgers at the wrong time. Lay the wood.
SI BET: Green Bay -11.5 (-110)
